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Thread: What Size Air Compressor?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master Moleman-'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by David2011 View Post
    I'll keep that in mind. The current oilless pump has only lasted 27 years.
    Like I said "if you use it much". The last 30gal oilless one I had burned through two pumps in 8 years. Put a 3rd one on and replaced it with a 220v 60 gallon oil filled pump 10 years ago. No issues.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The timing on this thread is great for me. I'm looking at compressors again. We recently moved and I miss my shop! I had a 5hp 2 stage 80 gallon vertical compressor that would run anything that I had but I didn't have room for it at our new house. I fear the anything that I get after owning that one will be a letdown.

  3. #23
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    Most new tools and equipment are let downs from the old made in USA stuff!

  4. #24
    Boolit Bub
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    I have a slightly different opinion. I run a Craftsman 1997 5 HP 30 gallon compressor on 115 V. Nameplate says 15 amps, so that amounts to only 2.34 electrical power. So they put a 5 HP motor on a 2.34 HP compressor, maybe that is why it runs so well. I like the short run time to get decent pressure. I replaced cylinder and piston last year. It is oilless, cost $26 and took 30 minutes. This does not run continously, but several hours most days.

    So I suggest going to the yard sales and seeing if you can snag on older model.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Handloader109 View Post
    I bought a HF quiet unit about 2 odd years ago. I can hardly hear it. It is smaller than my old dewalt pancake unit that put out about 120 dB. You couldn't even stay in the same room with that ***. This one is quieter than my 16g Brad gun. They along with others offer some larger units that are decently quiet and work well

    Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
    Second on the HF. Got a larger high compression one supposed to be as good as one twice the size and quieter. It certainly is.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  6. #26
    Boolit Master
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    My old boss put a Keaser in my shop. I told him to get a cheaper piston type. That the scroll type was not worth the money. BOY was I wrong. Quiet and lots of air super dependable.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by ebb View Post
    My old boss put a Keaser in my shop. I told him to get a cheaper piston type. That the scroll type was not worth the money. BOY was I wrong. Quiet and lots of air super dependable.
    A friend has a Fujitsu Air Screw on his drill rig. Powers it with a 12 cylinder Allison aircraft engine. It puts out 350 CFM at 300 PSI. Not Quiet! I worked next to him one day, that was enough.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  8. #28
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    I bought a 60 gallon Northstar compressor form Northern Tool, 11.5cfm @90psi, 240 volts/15 amps 3.7hp motor. I check oil once a month, drain it weekly because I use air tools pretty often. When I ran air lines I ran one into the house in the pantry, buried in conduit from garage to the house. Now when I do any home repairs I can run an air nailer or a sander in the house, I just run a hose into the pantry which is bottom floor center rear so centralized. 100' of hose gets me everywhere with plenty of slack.

    I do need to add a dryer for painting. I restore old radios and the metal cabinets get sand blasted if they are rusted then pits filled with a skim layer of body putty, sanded smooth then painted in a matching paint for that radio brand. Also do some cabinet restorations for other ham radio operators who do their own electrical restoration. Right now I have stuck to painting in cooler/drier weather, summer I get to much moisture in the air lines to spray paint with a touch up gun.

    Friends have painted some cars in there too by hanging plastic from the ceiling to make a paint booth. Lay plastic on the floor too to not only protect it but to stop dust.

    I bought mine on sale for half this price, YIKES stuff has gone up! https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...6209_200756209

  9. #29
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    A few years ago I needed a new air compressor and didn't have much money to spend so I got a 20 something gallon harbor freight special for $139 after my coupon I think it's 4 cfm or there about .

    I used that thing hard running mist coolant for 2 solid years .
    The only complaint I had with it is that it loud , drive you insane loud .
    Only reason I replaced it before it quit was I just couldn't take the noise any more.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mal Paso View Post
    A friend has a Fujitsu Air Screw on his drill rig. Powers it with a 12 cylinder Allison aircraft engine. It puts out 350 CFM at 300 PSI. Not Quiet! I worked next to him one day, that was enough.
    While I love the sound of 12 cylinder aircraft engines (partial to the Merlin) that would be a bit much.

    Quote Originally Posted by redneck1 View Post
    A few years ago I needed a new air compressor and didn't have much money to spend so I got a 20 something gallon harbor freight special for $139 after my coupon I think it's 4 cfm or there about .

    I used that thing hard running mist coolant for 2 solid years .
    The only complaint I had with it is that it loud , drive you insane loud .
    Only reason I replaced it before it quit was I just couldn't take the noise any more.
    I know what you mean. The one I’m replacing is loud, too. It is running at somewhere between 3450-3600 rpm and beside being loud it’s an annoying sound.
    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  11. #31
    Boolit Master
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    HP is rated different than it used to be. Running amp/hp was the early way of rating hp. Now hp is rated on starting amps which is usually over double the amps of running amp draw.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mk42gunner View Post
    Tank size and C.F.M. seem to me to be the governing items for a home use air compressor. As noted the HP ratings are a joke.

    If you have trouble running your air tools, try to find a bigger hose, more volume available does wonders.

    Robert
    Ah not exactly true but kinda. If your Compressor puts out X number of CFM doesn’t matter how big the hose is leading to your air tool it’s still only delivering X number of CFM! However if the size of the air hose is not allowing the maximum number of CFM supplied by your compressor to reach your air tool because the diameter of the air hose is so small then yes getting a bigger hose can help.
    Long, Wide, Deep, and Without Hesitation!

  13. #33
    Boolit Master
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    If you can find one with an 1800 RPM motor it will run cooler and water vapor is less of a problem. Most are 3600 and use a compressor half the size. Larger compressor dissipates heat better too. 1800 is quieter too.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master
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    ive got and had a bunch of em over the years. Ingersoll rand are very good, reliable last a long, long time if maintained and parts are always available if something gets broken or wears out.
    but the big question is what are you wanting to use it for. and do you need 135psi or 175 psi/ single stage or double stage if its a reciprocating piston compressor. do you plan to run it every day or just every now and then? do you want a cast iron pump that will last many years of daily use or aluminum pump that won't last nearly as long
    some of the smaller cheaper ones use a diaphragm to compress the air, these dont usually last very long.
    I forget the formula but it is something like 4cfm per horsepower with 1800 rpm electric motor, 3600 rpm motors only produce 1/2 as much torque of an 1800 rpm motor. if memory serves me right.
    Last edited by farmbif; 10-07-2022 at 09:37 PM.

  15. #35
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Oil free compressors are noisy.
    If you want quiet, check out a screw compressor.
    They are kind of expensive though.
    I have an old Craftsman 5hp that I got new in the 70's.
    I found a 80gal tank, and mounted it on it.
    Planing to change again to a 60 gal tank.
    Compressor broke a reed valve once.
    Easy to repair.
    CFM is everything.
    With all the chinese junk around, HP means nothing these days.
    Even the CFM is suspect if made in china.
    Mines was made in the good old USA, when Craftsman was great.

  16. #36
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    Unexpected followup: I still hadn't gotten around to buying an air compressor. I had to allow for all the setup time as well. Fast forward, the next door neighbor was having a pool party. I asked him how he liked his compressor, an older upright belt driven Chinese "Magnum Pro" with a 35 gallon tank. Silly horsepower rating is 5HP. I haven't checked the motor to see if it has an ampe He said that it came with the house. He fired it up when he bought the house to see that it ran but never used it. I asked if he wanted to sell it. He said that he thought he had told me once before that I could have it. Could I have forgotten such a generous offer? Anyway, we moved it from his house to mine a couple of days later.

    The fantasy horsepower rating is 5HP. I haven't checked the motor to see if it has an amperage spec on it yet. I changed some fittings and gave it a pressure test which it passed. There was a slight pressure drop over 2 hours, on the order of 3 to 4 psi. That could easily be the drop in temperature from freshly filled to sitting for 2 hours. It's in a store room in the garage with no direct access to the workshop and a solid insulated wall between so it can just barely be heard in the shop. With the TV on you can't tell the compressor is running. When the shop was built I had a circuit put in just for the compressor. It has an indicator light on the shop ceiling which has a blue bulb in it to remind me that the compressor circuit is live. I've ordered a thermal magnet breaker for that circuit that can be used as a switching breaker. It will probably last as long as I do. I'm making it very easy to drain the water frequently.


    Here's a photo of one that I snagged from the Internet.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  17. #37
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    Looks like it'll do a good job for ya.
    Change the oil in the pump every year or so and they'll just about live forever.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
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    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  18. #38
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Looks like a nice size.

  19. #39
    Boolit Buddy Tall's Avatar
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    The air compressor needs to have enough output (CFM rating) to easily exceed the biggest tool you plan on running so that it does not run all the time and you don't have to wait to let it "catch up".

    I bead blast often so I bought a big Ingersol Rand. It's rated at 21.5 amps on a 250 volt circuit. It keeps up with my needs easily. Should be the last one I ever have to buy.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    https://www.bing.com/shop/productpag...br-description

  20. #40
    Boolit Master Rapier's Avatar
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    Compressor oil and an oil change right off.....with a good cleaning on its outside. I keep a diaper under mine to catch the water and any oil by pass. Reason to put filters on your outlets if you want to spray coat. Most of the coatings do not like water or oil.

    I have a 90 bolted to the flor and hard piped around the shop. Drew it into the shop plans. But a free compressor is a good thing, it it works OK.
    “There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
    Cervantes

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